If there's one thing in life that's certain, it's that plans often change. Your idea of a perfect vacation could go south with an unexpected illness, a broken down vehicle, or even the theft of some belongings. What was supposed to be a quiet winter season can turn stressful when the furnace breaks, or there's a sudden leak in the roof.

The common thread running through all of these events is money. When the unexpected occurs, it's usually not in the form of a winning lottery ticket. No, instead you unexpectedly find yourself parting with money. Here's what you need to know about unexpected expenses and a few tips on getting a good preparation plan in place.

It's never fun being broke or having to live paycheck to paycheck. Wondering if you'll be able to pay your bills is stressful, and access to money is often limited. Those who have escaped debt will tell you that it is both a struggle and one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself and your family. Maybe you just see the potential for trouble on the horizon and want to avoid total financial disaster. Whether you're crawling out of debt or hope to avoid its pitfalls, here are just ten debt traps to avoid in 2017.

1. Spending Too Much on a Home

Buying too much home is a common mistake that gets many people in over their heads in debt. A standard monthly benchmark for housing is 30% of your income. Many go up to 40%, but too many families fail to consider such things as property taxes, insurance, upkeep, and repairs in their budget.

Do you have difficulty making decisions? For many people, having to choose between even two simple alternatives is a stressful proposition, and life-changing decisions can be downright debilitating. If you'd rather not just throw caution to the wind and flip a coin when it comes to where you live, work, or who you spend your time with, some effective decision-making skills might be useful. Here are five exercises that can help you work through decisions, big and small so that you can come to better conclusions with less overall stress.

1. Identify Your Goals

It's difficult to make sound decisions if you don't have clear goals. In fact, people who aren't able to sit down and reflect on what they want are more likely to make bad decisions. If you want to avoid a series of bad, and potentially costly choices, sit down and list out your goals. The decisions that will help you achieve those goals will become more apparent.